Best of You
by crackship-writer
Summary: When Clare discovers a shocking secret, the parties involved find a way to put a positive spin on things, though not a very conventional one. This is an Eclake (ElixClarexJake) story that will focus on the development of their strange arrangement throughout the chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Here's an Eclake story for you all, or at least the start to what I hope to be a few chapters long. I apologize if any of you feel any of the characters are ooc, but I guess that I could in turn argue that this is an AU story and therefore I have the ability to do whatever the hell I want, like, say, make Clare a major slut. But don't worry, I would never do that. I have too much respect for these characters and they ways in which they were intended by the writers of Degrassi to act(even if that can in itself be a little questionable at times). I hope that you enjoy. Please review so that I know that you do, or even if you don't!

* * *

It's funny how your life can change in a matter of seconds.

These seconds can be spent crashing your car, rendering you paralyzed for the rest of your life. They can be wasted staring down at two pink lines as you realize what you've just gotten yourself into. Or maybe the seconds ticked away as you watched your boyfriend kissing your ex-boyfriend, also known as your step-brother. What ever the case may be, your life has just changed drastically. And not always for the worse.

* * *

It had not been what Clare expected to find when she came home early from a weekend sleepover at Alli's. She had been having an immense amount of fun girl-talking with Alli and Jenna, but truth be told, she had also been missing Eli the entire time and was crazing desperately to be back in his arms. The two other girls seemed to understand; Alli was ready to rekindle things with Dave and Jenna was eager to get her flirt on with a cute boy from the mall. So after being ushered excitedly out of the house, Clare returned to her own, only to find a startling sight.

Oblivious to the girl now standing a few feet away from them, the two boys continued their wrestling practice, kissing each other in ways neither had ever kissed Clare. The only thing that seemed to be able to take her out of her stupor was a groan omitted from one of the boys (which boy it was, Clare wasn't sure, but she could have sworn it was from her own boyfriend), causing her to gasp and drop her over-stuffed duffel bag as her hands shot up to cover her mouth.

"Oh my God, you have got to be kidding me," were the words muffled by her hands as she gazed in disbelief at the boys in horror. Torn from their game by the sound of her fallen luggage, both boys stared right back, blinking almost in unison. Had it have been any moment but this, Clare would have laughed at the coincidence, but her heart was too hurt for that kind of reaction. Not only had she just found her boyfriend cheating on her, but her step-brother, who she had trusted most, had betrayed her.

The three of them stayed staring at each other like that for a few moments more, none of them really sure what to do or say to make the situation any better, though at that point such a thing seemed pretty impossible. Not wanting to wait around anymore for words that would never come, Clare bolted from the doorway, leaving her baggage and the boys behind as she made a beeline to her room. Once inside the sanctuary, she crashed on her bed, sobbing into the pillow for what felt like hours.

* * *

Back downstairs, the boys remained in an awed silence, still looking at the place Clare had just been. Slowly, as though unsure of his actions, Eli sat up. He was still straddling Jake's waist, whose hands were still placed firmly on Eli's sides. The high from the weed the two had previously smoked was subsiding, so as their gaze fell on each other they both jolted, finally realizing what was going on as they scrambled to their feet.

This was not the first time that Eli and Jake had found themselves in this sort of a situation. After their third session together, something seemed to click in their minds and they very often ended up on the floor as their limbs, and tongues, fought against the other. Neither of them were sure which had originally started it, though Eli had a sinking suspicion that it had been Jake to 'Figure out why Clare likes you so damn much'. They didn't care and it didn't bother them. There was nothing romantic about the kisses, really, it was just two boys freeing their minds for a little bit and getting carried away. Never too carried away, considering that the most that had ever happened ended in a shirtless Jake, but that was a fairly common sight around the Edwards-Martin household. The arrangement was strange, especially since both boys swore by their sexuality, but it was fun and, as much as they wanted to, they just couldn't stop. At least not until now.

"Fuck, Jake, what the hell? You said that she wasn't going to come home," Eli hissed, racking his fingers through his tousled hair in a worried manner as he paced the floor. Sighing deeply, Jake sat on the couch and shrugged, not knowing how this was his fault or how the boy was blaming him when he was in fact the one to tell Jake that information. But he understood that Eli was worried and let the moment pass, just trying to calm him.

"I don't know, that's what I thought, but-" Jake tried, but he was cut off by Eli standing in front of him, arms waving about desperately. "She hates me now, I know it. She thinks that I've been cheating on her, God dammit, and... this is all my fault. I have to fix this. Jake, what do I do?" he ranted off, unsure of what to do about the situation he had gotten himself into. It was safe to say that he was freaking out, as he often did when things went wrong at his expense.

Shrugging his shoulders helplessly, Jake wasn't sure what advice to give the boy. Having never been in this sort of a situation himself, he wasn't sure how one could go about fixing it. The action received a frustrated groan from the other boy who, instead of waiting around for the other boy to come out of the clouds too, made his way up to Clare's room for a little confrontation about what she had just witnessed.

Fully coming to his senses now, Jake shook his head and muttered to himself, "I would much rather get back to wrestling..." Groaning, he rose from his seat and followed the other boy up, mentally preparing himself for lots of yelling, hitting and hating words. "This is going to be great," he murmured sarcastically, hand on the doorknob as he slowly opened it and entered Clare's room.


	2. Chapter 2

Entering Clare's room was nothing short of scary. By deciding to enter the room, Jake knew that the boys were in for something bad. But he had not prepared for this. Her door was locked, making it clear that she had intended to shut them out from her life, at least for a few moments. After minutes of useless knocking and banging on the barrier, Jake gave up with a groan. "We could always break down the door," the taller boy suggested rather sarcastically, though it seemed to be received excitedly by the other boy who in turn pushed Jake away to his room to get his tools.

Though he didn't quite come back with a battle axe, Jake returned with his trusty screwdriver, the only one he used when the situation grew difficult. Three loose screws and beads of sweat later, Jake successfully removed the door from its frame, leaving Clare no choice but to face the two boys staring in from the naked doorway.

"I…Jake…What are you doing here? And was that really necessary? I can't believe you _took_ my door off!" she exclaimed through her apparent tears, wiping them hastily as she jumped to her feet almost as fast as she had fled up the stairs earlier. It was almost comical, seeing the two men of her life standing with a door in their hands, and, unlike before, Clare actually allowed herself a laugh at the sight. "This is just… This is ridiculous. I _have_ to be dreaming right now. There is no way that this is really happening! You-You're my brother and you're my boyfriend and you're not supposed to be kissing each other, you're supposed to be kissing me. Well, not you, but you and… pinch me," she huffed rather breathlessly before pinching herself, though it didn't help all that much. After all, this was not a dream, no matter how much she wished it was one.

All the two boys could do as her rant continued was alternate glances between each other and the freaking out girl. Still coming down from his high, Jake wanted desperately to burst out into laughter at the confusing nature of her words, but his conscience shone through and he knew better than to do that in this situation. Placing the door carefully against the wall, Jake turned back to see Eli shuffling to go and sit next to Clare and try to calm her. Jake had a feeling that any attempt at pacifying her would be futile, but he joined in the effort by turning her desk chair around and sitting on it, watching the interaction of the couple as he idly sat by.

"Clare, I think you're overreacting," must have seemed like a good place to start, considering that's what Eli said to her right off the bat. Met by a scoff and incredulous look from her, he immediately backtracked, glancing at Jake for help that never came. Sighing deeply, he took his normal place next to her on the bed and took it as a good sign when she didn't move away. Running his hand through his black hair and tugging on it nervously, "Look, you know I love you," he tried again, earning an unnoticed eye roll from Jake, who was not appreciating the sentiments at the moment. "And I don't love Jake. No offense to him, because he's great and all, but he's just not you. You have to understand that we were high and it just kind of…happened. This is the first time it's ever happened and I swear to you that it will never happen again. Right, Jake?" The teens on the bed turned in time to get confirmation from Jake, but he seemed to have lost interest in the conversation from the start and was now tracing the patters on his plaid shirt. Feeling eyes on him, he looked up and gave them a questioning look. "I said 'Right, Jake?" Eli repeated through gritted teeth, glancing over at Clare to get Jake to say something appeasing. Seemingly catching on, Jake let out a long "Ohh, yeah, right. Whatever he said. He's the boss."

Clare still wasn't convinced by the antics of the two, but she figured that it would have to do for now. It was clear, just by looking at Jake, that the pair had definitely gotten high in the previously empty house. In her eyes, that didn't justify a thing, but they were so dead set on convincing her against her preconceived notions that she felt she had no choice but to give in to them. Biting her lip and furrowing a brow, Clare calculated in her head what this could mean and didn't seem too bothered with the results. After all, Eli would still be hers in the end. Slowly nodding as she looked back to Eli, Clare offered him a shy smile, a bit embarrassed by her previous rant. "I did overreact a little, didn't I…" she muttered equally as shy, earning an honest grin from Eli who nodded his head in acknowledgement.

Leaning forward, Eli tried to initiate a kiss with his girlfriend, but was rather rudely interrupted by the boy who rose from his chair and put his hands on the lovers' faces, pushing them away from each other. "Not while I'm here," he chuckled out, sitting between them on the bed now and ignoring the glares from each of them.

"You can leave now, you know. Put the door back on, too, before Mom and Dad get home," Clare scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a look that screamed 'get-out-of-here-now-before-I-kick-your-ass.' Still unphased by their demands, Jake instead laid back on the bed, his fingers still tracing the plaid lines on his shirt as he stared at her ceiling.

"Just because he doesn't like it doesn't mean we have to stop, you know… It's his choice to stay," Eli pointed out, a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his lips as he leaned forward, successfully reaching her lips this time without stoppages. And they remained like that for a while, forgetting about other person on the bed completely, until he sat up again to pull them apart. Before either of them could complain, Jake silenced his sister with his own lips as Eli sat by in utter shock at the action.


	3. Chapter 3

"What the hell, Jake?" Eli exclaimed as he watched helplessly as Jake kissed Clare. It was clear by the way she tried desperately to push him away that Clare was not having any part in this. Quickly called to action, Eli pushed Jake off of his girlfriend and raised his fist, ready to punch him for what he had done. "Eli, no!" Clare shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling him back to her. Despite her attempt to save Jake from Eli's fists of fury, she opted to glare at her step-brother, who looked just as shocked by his actions as they were.

Jake had not been possessed by some other-worldly being. Nor had he always had some desire to kiss his ex-girlfriend/step-sister. But seeing her and Eli go at it right in front of his eyes had stirred something inside of Jake and he simply could not resist temptation. After his fiasco with Katie had left him very single and very lonely, Jake was missing something in his life. It wasn't kissing, though he did miss that along with the copulation that normally followed, but there was something deeper that he just couldn't put his finger on.

His first choice was to go for Eli, but he remembered their promise to Clare. It was a bummer that he couldn't kiss the boy again, since his desperation for a simple kiss made him feel almost attached to the boy's lips. That wasn't a normal feeling for the boy afraid of attachment, so it almost intrigued him in a weird, convoluted sort of way. Therefore his only choice was Clare, since she seemed to be the lesser of two evils. It still landed him in some trouble, as Eli was struggling against Clare's grip to nail him, but at least he had gotten what he wanted.

The pleasure was short lived, though, and it didn't nearly give him the satisfaction he had been hoping for. What else had he really been expecting by kissing someone who didn't want to kiss him back, though? Maybe in the back of his mind he thought that she might actually take to it and kiss him back. At least for those two seconds of hesitation before pushing him away Jake could continue to convince himself that she had wanted it.

"I'm sorry, I just thought.." he started, but he really didn't know what he thought. Standing up from the bed he shrugged to himself and walked to the doorway, glancing down at the unattached door before turning back to the couple. "I'll fix this later. Bye," he said awkwardly, giving them one last look before moving off to his room, leaving the other two teens behind and still very stunned.

* * *

It wasn't until a week or two after the incident that Eli finally agreed to hang out with Jake again. "No weed this time, ok?" he made Jake promise, not needing another situation to come about because of the not-so-innocent drug. Begrudgingly agreeing, Jake opted to instead watch Batman in the living room. It wasn't the same as their normal activities, but it would have to do for now.

Eli wasn't the only one who seemed to forgive him for the incident. Clare seemed to be regarding Jake a little more nicely than she had ever since as far back as their break up. She would smile at him while passing him in the hall, ask him about his day and even make him a chicken salad sandwich without him asking. While he was suspicious that she wanted something from him, he took it all without complaint, figuring that it couldn't be too bad.

Actually enjoying the first movie night with Eli, Jake suggested that they watch something once a week. It quickly became their new guy thing, drugs forgotten and never mentioned again. Their forth movie in, the two had gotten accustomed to sitting next to each other, Jake's arm easily across the back of the couch in a comfortable manner, though to an outsider it may have looked like it was around Eli. The shorter boy didn't seem to mind, or notice for that matter, as it was such a natural thing to do. An unexpected visitor seemed to pick up on it, though, so when Clare, who usually stayed in her room on these nights to respect their friendship, came down the stairs and saw them like this her eyebrow rose. Figuring that it wasn't as bad as finding them making out, she shrugged it off and moved on to the kitchen.

"I'm making popcorn. Want any?" she yelled through the rooms, soon receiving positive feedback and moving to make the snack. Once it was done and in a deep bowl she moved back to the living room, frowning when she found there wasn't much room for her on the couch. Placing the bowl on the coffee table, she squeezed herself between the two. "Ah, my two favorite men. I love being sandwiched between all the cologne," she teased, grabbing the popcorn onto her lap and wiggling around to get the two to move away and give her some space.

When they did she still wasn't comfortable. So she opted to lean on them both, her legs upon Eli's lap while her back rested against Jake's chest. Now distracted from the movie, Jake looked down at her, wondering why she leaned on him like that. Shouldn't she be cuddling on Eli? Feeling his eyes on her, Clare looked up and offered her a smile, as if to say that this was alright and that he should be enjoying it as much as she did. Looking up, he noticed that Eli was looking at them curiously as well, a twisted smile forming on his face as the seconds passed. Eventually Jake decided to give up on trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with the situation, since the other two apparently couldn't find a thing, and turn back to the movie.

Half-way through the movie yet another strange occurrence happened, confusing Jake even more. Slowly, as though testing the water, Clare's hand grazed against Jake's leg. He hadn't thought much of it at first, figuring that her hand had slipped by mistake, but it soon became clear that she was intentionally running her hand along his leg. Keeping his head straight to make it seem like he was still looking at the movie, Jake strained his eyes to look down, noticing that her hand was on Eli's leg as well, squeezing Eli's and his thighs simultaneously. It wasn't a sexual touch at all, but it wasn't the kind of thing that an ex-girlfriend did in front of her boyfriend. The touch caused Jake to jump up and stand before the couch, pointing a finger between the couple as he tried to figure out what exactly to say to them.

"I-wha-I just…" he started, looking back and forth between the two who seemed to simply stare back at him, feigning innocence. Clare was already back in Eli's arms, almost acting as if Jake had imagined the whole thing. Running his hand through his hair, Jake began to wonder if he was high at that moment and didn't even realize it. But before he could really question himself, Eli began laughing and tried to speak. "Jeez, Jake, calm down. You should seriously see your face right now." Clare had a cheeky grin on her face as well, peering at her step-brother. "Sit down so we can talk, Jake," she whispered, patting the space on the couch where he had last been.

Warily he followed her orders, but he sat with his back against the arm of the couch, keeping his distance for now. Giving them an expectant look, they sighed and looked at each other, as though trying to determine who should speak first. Clare's mouth opened and closed a few times, her eyes still on Eli as though he might strike her with some inspiration as to what to say. Clearing his throat, Eli took it upon himself to speak, training his eyes on Jake again.

"We have an offer for you that we were hoping you'd accept."


	4. Chapter 4

Hearing those words leave Eli's mouth filled Jake with a kind of nervousness that he wasn't used to. The fact that he had no clue what the two could possibly offer him, especially since they hadn't really made any attempt to clue him in over the past few days, worried him and in the few moments that passed he wracked his brain, trying to figure out just what they could ask of him. They even seemed a bit unsure themselves as they looked between each other, making faces as if to say they weren't too sure if they should ask him at all.

"What is it?" he finally asked quietly, wondering when his voice had gotten that small. Except for the time when his parents had divorced, Jake had never acted like this. He wasn't a nervous guy, but rather quite the opposite. His manner generally exuded confidence; that was just the way he liked it. But he didn't like the way that Clare and Eli were making him feel now and he just wanted to get it over with.

"Well, you see, remember how Clare caught us the other day? And then you went and kissed her?" Eli asked, earning a slow nod from Jake, who really just wanted to forget that day all together. This time Clare piped up, adding on to what Eli was trying to day. "I think I speak for both of us when I say that we kind of liked it? And we…want to do it again. But, like, together. At the same time. Except not at the _same_ time, but…yeah," she ranted slightly, hiding her head in Eli's chest in embarrassment for the suggestion, or rather for her inability to explain what she meant clearly.

Licking his lips to wet his dry mouth, Jake tried to comprehend what they were both asking him. In all of his years of casual relationships, Jake had never been offered to be with two people at the same time. It was exciting; there was really no doubt about that, but with Eli and Clare? It just seemed kind of wrong to him, as much as he did want to agree. He did still miss kissing Eli, when under the influence, of course, and he was jealous of how he could kiss Clare whenever he wanted to, but that didn't mean that he was ready for what they were suggesting, right:? His head was swimming and he couldn't think straight. Wanting to just get away from the situation and confusion, he stood up, shaking his head at them and said, "No, no, I… I just can't…" he trailed off, giving them one more look before walking out and back to his room without another word.

* * *

"I told you we shouldn't have asked him," Clare chastised Eli, nudging him with her shoulder before settling back into him and watching the movie. She couldn't concentrate on it, though, especially since her mind was too worried that she had horrified her brother with their suggestion.

It was all Eli's idea, really. That night, after Jake had left her room, Clare began to cry again. "Clare, it's alright. I said that I promise not to do it again," Eli assured her quietly, putting an arm around her shoulder to pull her in for comforting. Shaking her head, Clare dismissed his touch. "No, i-it's not that. I'm just such a terrible girlfriend…" she wept, confusing Eli just a tad bit more than before.

"Don't say that. You're the greatest girlfriend that I could ever imagine having, Clare. I'm the one-" Eli started, only stopping when Clare cut him off. "I liked when he kissed me, Eli. And if you weren't here I probably wouldn't have stopped him." Taken back by her admission, Eli pulled away slightly to look at her. He should have been hurt, offended even, by what she was telling him, but he understood where she was coming from. After all, he was the one she had found just before kissing the very same guy in question. "I just feel so…guilty. I shouldn't want to kiss him _and_ you. I'm so sorry, Eli," she continued, sobbing quietly to herself. Coming back to his senses, Eli was struck with a strange idea. Pulling Clare into her chest and consoling her, he told her his idea and eventually got her on board, leading to the position they were in now.

"Hey, don't try to pin this on me. You were just as enthusiastic for this as I was. I have a feeling that he'll come to his senses soon enough," Eli countered her statement on the couch, laughing slightly before he quickly returned to quoting along with the movie playing, thus ending the conversation.

* * *

For a while, it seemed like Jake wouldn't 'come to his senses,' as Eli said. Clare's smiles in the halls were met with a glance in the opposite direction. Whenever Eli came over, Jake made sure that he had plans elsewhere. If he did perchance run into the dark haired boy, say at school, there was no acknowledgement whatsoever. Clare was sure that she was right; they had gone too far in their offer and Jake would make sure to have no part in talking to either of them until after graduation. Eli, too, was beginning to feel this way, running calculations through his head of where he had gone wrong in his offer. Maybe he just didn't know Jake as well as he thought he had.

After three weeks of still no contact from the third party, Eli debated offering to smoke with Jake, wondering if it would break the ice between the two and, even if Jake didn't accept the offer, the two could at least work on their friendship again. Despite Clare's pleas not to do that and to rather give Jake his space, Eli decided to go against her word and do it anyway. Besides, it wasn't like he could make the situation any worse.

"I'm just going to go into his room, Clare. It'll be fine, I promise," he assured her, moving from her bed to the door to leave and do just what he said he would. "That's what you said about this whole thing…" she muttered under her breath, watching as her boyfriend reached for the door knob. Before his hand could touch the metal, a knock rang through the wood, causing Eli to jump back in surprise.

Opening the door uninvited, Jake peeked in at the two. He took in their expressions, making sure he wasn't interrupting anything, before smiling coolly at them both, as if nothing had happened between them all in the last month. Fully entering the room, Jake clasped his hands together and stood in the middle of the room. "So… Should we make out?" he asked them totally seriously, causing Clare's jaw to drop and Eli to shift on his feet, sharing a look with Clare.

In the weeks that Jake had left the two alone, he had done some thinking himself. While still put off by the idea at first, Jake began to wonder if it would really be all that bad. He had been looking for something casual since his relationship with Katie ended and this might just be the sort of thing he was looking for. The situation wouldn't be the best, especially considering who he would be doing this with, but he was willing to take that risk if they were.

"It's about time you came around," was the comment made by the other boy as he walked forward and placed a hand on Jake's shoulder, pushing him to sit on the bed. He then sat next to his girlfriend, giving her a look until she composed herself. When she did, she cleared her throat and finally spoke up. "Maybe we should discuss this first?" she offered meekly, glancing between them both in time to see that they were rolling their eyes at her. "You talk way too much, you know that?" Jake laughed, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "I tell her all the time," Eli chimed in, moving in to do the same and sandwiching Clare yet again, though this time she pleasantly accepted it.

* * *

Note: Annnd there we have the last chapter of the story. Well, most likely last, unless I suddenly become good at writing kissing(or more ;D) scenes, which will be most likely. Regardless, I like how it kind of ended the way it does. It lets you imagine what's to come next.

Thanks for sticking around and reading all of this, especially since it got weird and confusing at times. I like to think that AU stories are allowed to do that, though, especially when you're dealing with something as unrealistic as Eclake. And a big thank you to the people who actually too the time to review. I love hearing what you guys say and getting the encouragement to continue writing. Love you guys :).


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